Ninjago: The Masters And The Weapons
by Vashwhyssrs
Summary: Cole, Jay, Kai, and Zane. Four strangers who live semi-normal lives, are thrust into an old war between brothers and the never ending battle between darkness and light. Their only hope is work together to save their world and all that they love, or die trying. :A more mature version of the story of Ninjago. More in the authors note inside. Ninja Go.
1. Battle of the Brothers

**Hello reader, I've recently noticed that there was fanfics for Ninjago, and I wanted to give it a try. This is what I think that the story of Ninjago would be like if it was meant for more mature audiences, and also if they were people, not Legos. I love Ninjago, but I want to imagine them as real people just for this story. Hope you I you enjoy what I've started, this chapter took about five days to complete. Okay, long authors note over, again I hoe you enjoy it.**

* * *

><p>Forty years ago...<p>

It was the twilight hour. The suns bright rays covered the sky in golden light,  
>and lit up the mountains that overlooked Jamanakai village. At the top of the<br>tallest mountain stood a great monastery. A temple that overlooked the world of  
>Ninjago as a shining example of peace for hundreds of years.<p>

Outside the temple gates stood a man, about forty years of age with a soft face,  
>kind eyes, and rich brown hair. He stood tall and erect in the robes that were<br>once worn by his father. The robes were black and white with the symbol of the  
>golden Dragon on its back, and covered with golden runes down the left side.<br>Years ago his father had told him that the golden Dragon and its runes would  
>protect the robes wearer from the evils of this world.<p>

The man did today what he would do every day, stand in front of the monastery  
>and keep a watchful look over the quite village at the base of the mountain. But<br>today felt different for the man, there was a strange chill in the air. It felt  
>almost unnatural.<p>

He look up into the sky, dark clouds were gathering on the horizon. The man  
>feared that this day would come, but he wasn't sure that he was ready to face<br>that fear. With a heavy sigh, the man turned and slowly walked back into the  
>temple.<p>

It was a quiet trip through the monastery, besides himself there was only one  
>other person that lived here, his brother. The man was headed to the temples<br>armory, but when he got there he hesitated. He put his hand on the armory door  
>and hoped that what he feared would not be behind it.<p>

When the door opened, the man's hope was crushed and his heart sank. On the back  
>wall behind the armory's many weapon racks was the display case for his father's<br>personnel weapon, the Four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu. The same four tools that  
>his father had once used to create the world of Ninjago, and everything in it.<br>The weapons that he and his brother were meant to protect, and keep out of the hands  
>of anyone who would misuse their power.<p>

But standing there in front of the case, now open, was his elder brother. His  
>brother stood there, in his black robes, with the golden Sword of Infernos<br>clutched in his hands. After his brother was done admiring the Sword he placed  
>it in a sheath on his back and was now reaching for the Nunchaku of Storms.<p>

Seeing his brother taking the golden weapons for himself broke the man's heart,  
>but he had always known this day would come. He approached his brother and spoke<br>up. "Our fathers weapons are meant for display only, Garmadon."

With the Nunchaku in hand, Garmadon faced him. Garmadon had an arrogant smirk on  
>his stern face. The man almost didn't recognize his brother, he had change so<br>much over the night that the man knew just from looking at him that the evil  
>within had finally overtaken his brother. Garmadons once pale peach skin was now<br>a sickly green, his hair once a slick and brown was now inky, wild, and black,  
>and his eyes once a bright emerald green were now a deep blood red.<p>

"What good is a weapon that only sits around collecting dust, Wu?" The older  
>brother asked.<p>

"One that does not belong in mortal hands Garmadon." Garmadon let out a  
>disappointed sigh at his younger brothers words. "Our father taught us to<br>protect these weapons, not use them."

Garmadon laughed. "Our father was a coward and a fool, Wu. He had the power of a  
>God and how did he use it? Fighting for the ungrateful citizens of this world."<br>Garmadon switched the hand that was carrying the Nunchaku. The older brother  
>frowned. "He spent his days ignoring us to fight for the light, to protect the<br>world, and look what's happened. Has the violence stopped? The fear, the hatred?  
>No. He couldn't stop it, but I will."<p>

"And how do you expect to do that, Garmadon?" Wu asked. He knew that the fight  
>between good and evil was never ending. They had both been raised to know that.<br>"Violence, hatred, and fear are all a part of human nature. You can not get rid  
>of them without ridding people of their free will."<p>

Garmadon sighed again. "Oh, Wu. How naive you sound." He placed his free hand on  
>the Scythe of Quakes. "That is exactly what I plan to do."<p>

That made Wu temporarily speechless. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
>"Garmadon, why?"<p>

Suddenly, rage flashed across Garmadons face. "Why? Without free will there will  
>be no war, no needless suffering. For too long man has been left to govern<br>themselves, but no more!" He took the Scythe out of the case and continued.  
>"Once I reshape the world in my image, we will find utopia, and rule as God's! As<br>we should be."

Wu, snapping back to his senses, took a challenging step forward. "I can't let  
>you do that, Garmadon!"<p>

Garmadon shook his head in disappointment. "Then there will be no place for you  
>in the new world, brother!" With a twist of his body, Garmadon swiped with the Scythe of Quakes.<p>

Wu barely had enough time duck under the razor sharp mystic weapon as it sliced  
>through the air. Garmadon quickly brought the Scythe down onto Wu, but the<br>younger brother step-sided out of the way and grabbed the Scythe and, in the  
>same motion, twisted around with a powerful heel kick to Garmadons chest. The<br>force of the kick caught Garmadon by surprise, making him stumble backwards, and  
>release the Scythe from his grasp.<p>

Wu, the Scythe of Quakes in hand, spun around a took his fighting stance. Wu was  
>hesitant to use one of the weapons, but with two in Garmadons hands Wu had no<br>other choice. "My place is here, Garmadon. Between you and the weapons."

With a growl that sounded almost animalistic, Garmadon drew the Sword of  
>Infernos from the sheath on his back, and begun to swing the Nunchaku of Storms<br>in his other hand. "Then I won't be holding back." Garmadon sliced into the air  
>in front of him with the Sword, sending a ball of fire at his brother. At the<br>last possible second, Wu somersaulted over blaze as it passed, and in the  
>instant that he landed back on the floor he swept with the Scythe, knocking<br>Garmadon off of his feet.

With his older brother temporarily dazed, Wu reached for the final weapon, the  
>Shuriken of Blizzards, with his free hand. Garmadon jumped back to his feet, and<br>in the same motion he slammed the Nunchaku on the floor, sending out a shock  
>wave of electricity that knocked Wu back into a weapon rack. Luckily the weapon<br>rack that Wu was thrown into was mostly filled with old staff's that broke under  
>his weight easily.<p>

Garmadon jumped forward, bringing the Sword down onto Wu, but the younger  
>brother caught him with the Scythes blunt end. Caught off guard, Garmadon took<br>the blunt end of the Scythe on his jaw, making a sickening crack that they both  
>could hear it. Wu took advantage of Garmadons injury, and slammed the blade of<br>the Scythe into the floor. The sharp Scythe broke through the wooden panels and  
>dug into the temple's foundation.<p>

When Garmadon recovered, as best as he could with a fractured jaw, he was  
>greeted with a solid column of earth that shot through the floor. The force of<br>the column sent Garmadon crashing through the temple walls. Wu pulled himself  
>off of the broken weapon rack, and followed Garmadon through the holes he had<br>made in the temple walls.

Garmadon had been pushed farther then Wu had thought. The series of holes  
>through the walls ended in the main hall. Wu entered the main hall cautiously,<br>the lamps around the hall had all been snuffed out and the storm outside had moved  
>over the monastery, blocking the light from the window. Garmadon was nowhere to<br>be seen, and that worried Wu. Thunder crashed through the air as the storm  
>outside intensified. There was a flash of lightning, and the sound of a gust of<br>wind.

No, it wasn't the wind. It was Garmadon. As if from out of nowhere, Garmadon  
>appeared as a swirling, eight foot, black tornado. The older brothers sudden<br>appearance caught Wu off guard. For an instant Wu could see his brother inside the  
>Spinjitzu tornado, his fist wrapped around the Nunchaku of Storms. Garmadons<br>fist, backed with force of the tornado and the power of the Nunchaku, connected  
>with Wu's face. The power of Garmadons attack sent Wu crashing through the<br>temple doors and out into the storm.

Wu, now soaked with rain, watched his older brother slowly walk out into the  
>courtyard. "Surrender the weapons, Wu. And I promise I will make your death<br>quick and painless."

"Garmadon, look at yourself." Wu pleaded in one last attempt to talk some sense  
>into his brother. "What would Misako say if she saw you like this?"<p>

Wu had hope that mentioning Garmadons wife would get through to him, but he was wrong.  
>The mention of her name only angered him. "You dare use her against me!" With a<br>great leap, Garmadon continued his attack. The older brother brought the two  
>golden weapons down as he jumped. Wu raised the weapons in his hands to defend<br>himself. In the collision, the Four Golden Weapons made contact with each other.

The shear power of the Four Weapons making contact with each other exploded  
>outwards, scattering the brothers and the weapons across the courtyard. Dazed<br>and exhausted from the battle, Wu tried to get to his feet, but the shock wave  
>the weapons had made took to much out of him.<p>

Wu saw the Sword of Infernos laying just inches away from him, but when he tried  
>to reach for the elemental weapon, a black tornado was hovering over him faster<br>then the lightning from the storm around them. And with the power of Spinjitzu  
>behind him, Garmadon dropped. The older brother shot down with earth shattering<br>speed and force, his landing right on point with Wu's knee. And with a loud  
>snap, Wu's leg broke in two, and he cried out in agony.<p>

Relishing in his younger brothers pain, Garmadon smiled and slowly pick up the  
>Sword of Infernos. "I tried to do this the easy way, Wu." Garmadon looked down<br>on Wu, his hair matted by the rain. "But you had to make this difficult."  
>Garmadon grabbed his younger brother by the collar, and lifted him off of the<br>ground with one hand. "This fight ends now, and a new world will begin."

Wu tried to struggle, but he couldn't fight back any more. The darkness had won  
>this day. Or so Wu had thought. Just as Garmadon was about to deliver the<br>killing blow, the golden runes on Wu's robes begun to glow bright with the  
>intensity of the Sun. The golden light blasted over Garmadon, the pureness<br>blinded him forcing him to drop Wu, and stubble backwards.

When the sight returned to Garmadon, he was overtaken by rage. The older brother  
>charged forward, and raised the Sword of Infernos high into the air. "Enough of<br>this!"

"Garmadon, no!" Wu tried to warn his brother, but it was too late. At that exact  
>moment, thunder crashed and a single bolt of lighting shot down and hit the<br>Sword of Infernos like a lightning rod. The force of the lightning electrocuted  
>and then set fire to Garmadon. When it was over, Garmadon collapsed, the heavy<br>rain extinguishing the fire. Garmadons cries of agony still echoed through the night.

Wu was left unsure if his brother was alive or dead. Somehow Wu's hand found the  
>Scythe of Quakes, and, forgetting his pain for a moment, used it like a crutch<br>to get to his feet and hobbled over to his prone brother. The lightning and  
>resulting fire had burned away most of Garmadons clothes. His skin was burned<br>down to the bone in some places, and the rest was charred black. His hair stood  
>on end and was now dry and brittle. If Garmadon was still alive, it would be by<br>a miracle alone. He looked like a corpse.

Wu bowed his head in sorrow, Garmadon was still his brother and he sad that it had  
>to turn out this way. But it wasn't over. Garmadon's hand shot up, wrapped<br>around Wu's neck, and started to squeeze the life out of him. With Wu's throat  
>still in hand, Garmadon begun to rise. "You won't stop me!" Garmadon shouted.<br>"Nothing will!"

"I'm sorry." Wu managed to squeeze out. The younger brother had no other choice.  
>He took the Scythe by its blunt end, and ran the Scythes blade deep into<br>Garmadons right side and into to his heart.

Garmadons rageful expression turned into shock as dark red, almost black, blood  
>ran from his mouth. He released his brothers neck and collapsed, this time for<br>good. Wu fell as well without the Scythe to balance him. Exhausted, Wu closed  
>his eyes and drifted asleep in the rain.<p>

He awoke several hours later in a daze. For a moment Wu thought it was all a dream.  
>Then he looked around and saw his brothers charred corpse lying a few feet away<br>with the Scythe of Quakes lodged in his torso. With a sorrow filled sigh, Wu  
>looked up at the sky. The storm had passed, and the sun was now rising. With<br>great effort, Wu managed to stand up on his good leg.

Wu hobbled, slowly, over to his brother. He gripped the Scythe, and pulled it  
>out of his brother. He tucked the Scythe under his arm, once again using it as a<br>crutch, and noticed that Garmadons eyes were still open. Wu reached down to  
>close them, but hesitated. He couldn't help but feel that Garmadon would get up<br>again, but he shook off that thought, and closed his older brothers eyes in  
>respect.<p>

Wu sighed again, and looked up from his deceased brother to the damage done to  
>the temple. After he buried Garmadons body, he would have to rebuild what<br>they had destroyed. Then his eyes wondered down to the blood stained Scythe of  
>Quakes then to the other three weapons littered around the courtyard.<p>

"The battle between darkness and light is never ending." Wu repeated his  
>father's immortal words to himself. The Golden Weapons were no longer safe here.<br>He was not enough to protect them. He would hide them in the Four corners of the  
>world, deep in places that only someone trained to master the elements could<br>reach.

It would take time, but it was necessary. Hopefully, with time, the world will  
>forget the story of the Golden Weapons, and stop searching for them.<p>

He hoped.

* * *

><p><strong>Authors Note: That's it for the first chapter. A couple of notes I want to point out, I wanted Garmadon to have a little more depth to his character then the "I want to make the world evil because I'm evil." thing that goes on in the show, so I wrote him so that he truly believes that what he is doing is right. I also had Wu kill him because, in my mind, it makes a little more sense then just being banished to the underworld. But that's just me, I'm not hating on what they did in the show, I just thing for this story that it makes more sense. Also I changed the names of the Golden Weapons a little bit to make them sound more powerful. <strong>

**Oh, and I'm only doing this once. I do not own Ninjago, I am not claiming that I do own Ninjago, and I will never claim that I own Ninjago and its Characters. I am not making money off of this Story in anyway, it is merely for my enjoyment, and for the enjoyment of anyone reading the.**

**I hope you enjoyed this. Please R&R, tell me what you liked and didn't like, and there is more on the way.**

**Sighed- Vashwhyssrs. **


	2. Wu Jounrnal: Worries

**Hello once again. Today I have not a whole chapter, but a journal entry from Sensei Wu. I won't make these often, they are just a bridging device between certain events, like a time gap, or when I get stuck on a certain chapter. And a big thank you for those who read the last chapter, and a bigger thank you to those who gave reviews. **

* * *

><p>From the Journal of Wu, the third Spinjitzu Master:<p>

It has been forty years to this day since my fateful battle with Garmadon. Life for the citizens of Ninjago has been peaceful over the years, at least until recently.

As I have long feared, the balance between darkness and light is shifting once again. The Skulkin have been seen outside of villages all around Ninjago. The undead warriors have not been seen in the mortal world for ages.

The sightings of the Skulkin have formed a pattern. I believe that Samukai, the Skulkins Lord and Master, is searching Ninjago for something. I'm afraid that my father's Golden Weapons are in danger once more.

I am left with no other options, I have to retrieve the Weapons from their hiding places and put them under close guard. But I have grown too old over the years, and my injury from all those years ago will hinder me further.

Twenty years ago, I recorded in this journal the translation of one of my father's scrolls. The one that depicted the rise of the next Spinjitzu Master and his four guardians.

I fear the time has come to gather the guardian's together, and train them as ninja. Spinjitzu will not be easy for them to master, it never is, but they will have to be ready. I feel that the coming events are the start of a series of events that will rock this world to its core.

I will consult the Spirit Smoke tomorrow morning. The ancient incense will point me to the first of the guardians, and them we will get to work.

I can only pray that I will have enough time to find and train the Four properly. A storm is coming. The Balance is at stake, and I will not allow it to shift once more.

The coming darkness shall not win.

* * *

><p><strong>There you go that's it for today. The next chapter will introuduce, and center around, Cole. Please R&amp;R. Thank you. -Vashwhyssrs. <strong>


	3. Meet Cole

**Hello once gain, Today I introduce Cole. Not much to about this chapter, so I'll just let you read it. Enjoy**

* * *

><p>It was a sunny Sunday in Ninjago. The sun was shining brightly over the land without a single cloud in the sky to hinder its rays. It was the perfect day for rock climbing. And for one young man, about seventeen years old, that was exactly the plan for today.<p>

His name was Cole, a strong, well built young man who wanted only to find his place in the world. Rock climbing was one of the many hobbies that Cole enjoyed. He was always trying new things to push himself further then his limit could take him.

For as long he could remember, Cole had always loved to test his strength, and push his limits. And that was why he was climbing the tallest of the mountains that overlooked the Sea of Sand. Cole had been climbing for hours, grabbing handhold after handhold, getting higher and higher towards the top.

The adventurous young lad had been climbing the entire mountain side with his bare hands. He had refused to use any kind equipment, as he wanted to make this accomplishment by himself. The only safety gear he brought along with him was a climbing axe that would give him extra reach in case he fell.

It was about twenty feet from the summit, when Cole dug the climbing axe into the mountains rocky surface. He hung on tightly to the axe to give himself a quick rest. With his free hand Cole reached into one of the pockets of his black cargo shorts, and pulled out his fathers pocket watch to check the time. It was an old black pocket watch with guilded gold trimming, with dashs instead of numbers.

The time was only half passed noon now. Cole sighed while catching his breath. "I'm making good time." He said to himself. He put the watch back into his pocket and looked up to what he had left to climb. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and eyes, and continued his climb to the summit.

Planting his hand on the edge of the cliff face, Cole lifted himself up onto the mountain top. Standing on his own two for the first time in hours, Cole looked out into the Sea of Sand. It was a beautiful sight seeing all of the sand, rocks, and mountains surrounding the expansive desert. If Cole squinted hard enough, he could just barely make out the skyline of Ninjago City in the distance.

The sight before him filled Coles heart with pride at his accomplishment. The young mountain climber sat down on a flat rock, pulled off his backpack, and took out a clean towel and a bottle of water. He took a sip from the bottle then started to wipe the sweat off of his face and his shaggy black hair.

Cole wrapped the towel around his neck, drank more water, and looked back out into the Sea of Sand. "It is a beautiful sight isn't it?" The sudden appearance of the unfamiliar voice startled Cole, nearly making him choke on the water he was drinking.

Cole, catching his breath, turned around. Sitting there, a couple of feet away, was a man wearing white robes decorated with golden symbols. He clutched a wooden staff in his lap and wore a straw hat on his head that was now covering his face.

To say that Cole was surprised would be an understatement, he truly thought that he would be alone up here on the mountain. The man sitting across from him seemed to read his thoughts. "You seem surprised young man." He said without looking up at him.

Cole took a second to collect himself, then said. "I just expected to be alone, I didn't think that anyone else would be up here."

"I wasn't." The man answered. "I've only just arrived. I've been watching you climb. It takes a feat of strength to climb this mountain, especially without tools."

Cole was surprised, the man sounded like he was praising him. "Well," Cole started. "I thought it would be a fun challenge."

"And was it?" The man asked.

Cole was tried, thirsty, and his muscles ached. "Yes." He answered. "It was."

The man finally looked up to Cole. He looked to be somewhere in his early sixtys, with soft eyes and a small smile that was surrounded by a rich white beard that covered up his neck. "That's good to hear, Cole."

That was a little scary, the old man somehow knew his name. "How did you know my name?"

"Would you believe a lucky guess?" The man asked. Cole didn't believe that, and it was obviously shone in his expression. The man laughed at Coles expression. "It's printed on your back pack."

Cole quickly looked down to his back pack where his name was printed in bright orange letters, and felt embarrassed. "I feel stupid."

"You shouldn't." The man reached forward, offering his hand. "My name is Wu."

Cole reached forward and shook his hand. "Cole, but you already knew that."

"So what brings you up here, Cole?" The man named Wu asked.

Cole held an eyebrow up in confusion. "I told you, I wanted to test my strength."

"But what other reason did you climb up here?" Cole was still confused. "I sense that you lack purpose, that you have been looking for a place in this world, direction."

Cole was curious now. "What makes you say that? My back pack?" He joked.

"No." Said Wu. "Your eyes."

"Oh?" Cole said embarrassed again.

Wu continued. "I am here to offer you direction. To be a part of something bigger then yourself."

Cole liked the sound of that, but what was this old man offering. "Bigger how?" He asked.

"Have you noticed anything odd lately, Cole?" Other then the sudden appearance of Wu up here, Cole couldn't think of anything else.

Then Cole remembered something. "The skeletons." He said. "I've been hearing rumours about walking skeletons being seen all around Ninjago."

Wu nodded. "They are called the Skulkin. Undead warriors from the depths of the underworld. The ones that have been spotted recently have only been scouts. I fear that soon we will have the entire legion on our hands."

"So they're going to invade us?" Cole asked with concern.

"They will do more then that. I believe that they are looking for the Four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu." Wu said with an edge of warning in his voice.

"I thought that the Golden Weapons were just a myth." Cole said.

"No Cole, they are as real as you and I. And if the Skulkin retrieve all four of the weapons, it will me disaster for the citizens of Ninjago." Wu said grimly.

This was scary to Cole, very scary. Then he remembered Wu's offer. "So what can I do about it."

Wu smiled. "You can join me and fight back." He reached into his robes and pulled out an old wooden bowl. Offering the bowl to Cole, Wu continued. "Take this, bring it into the Wildwood Forest, and fill it with the water in the river. Once you do that, your training will begin."

Cole took the bowl then watched as Wu rose from his seated position, and begun to walk towards the mountains southern face. It was then Cole noticed that the old man had a slight limp in his left leg.

"What training?" Cole asked.

Wu continued walking and said. "How else will you become a ninja?" And then he was gone, as quickly as he appeared.

Left alone with his thoughts, Cole looked deeply into the bowl trying to figure out why he needed it. "A ninja." Cole said to himself. "I think I like the sound of that."

* * *

><p><strong>That does it for today. I'm still deciding on what to do for the next chapter. I'll either continue on with Coles training, or introduce Jay. Please R&amp;R. Thank you. -Vashwhyssrs.<strong>


	4. Coles Ordeal

**Hello once again. Today I have some more with Cole. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>It was early Monday morning. Cole had gotten up early, as he often did, to make his way through the Wildwood Forest. The path through Ninjagos largest forest was a long one, Cole had been jogging down the path for about two hours heading for the river.<p>

He checked the time on his father's watch out of habit. He stopped to catch his breath, and heard the sound of running water, he had finally reached the river. At the edge of the river there was a shaved down stump with a short log standing up in front of it, and twenty feet to its right was a large granite boulder.

"Okay." Cole said to himself. "Nobody here." He looked around to make sure that he nobody really was there, human or otherwise, then took off his backpack and placed on the stump. Cole took out the wooden bowl that Wu had given to him the day before, went to the river, and filled it with the water.

"Good you're here." Cole heard the familiar voice of Wu that once again sacred Cole, so much that he nearly dropped the bowl.

Cole looked over to see Wu standing next to the boulder. "I'm sorry, but do you always have to do that?" Cole asked.

Wu laughed and stepped forward. "In time you will learn to do the same. Now then." Cole watched as Wu took the bowl from his hands and placed it on the log in front of the stump. "Sit." Wu commanded. Cole wasn't sure what was about to happen, but he did as he was told. Cole looked into the bowl of water then up at Wu. "Now open your hand, and slap the water with your palm. Then do the same with your other hand."

Cole was confused, he thought he was here to train to become a ninja. "Um, I'm sorry, but why?"

"From this point forward," Wu started as he walked back to the boulder. "You will refer to me as Sensei, and do what I ask without question." He sat down, bowing his head, and tucking his staff under his arm. "Now slap the water."

Cole sighed. "Okay then." He opened his right hand and slapped the water. Some of the water splashed up into his eye. "Of course." He wiped his eye on his sleeve, and slapped the water again with his other hand. He repeated again and again, and in five minutes the bowl was empty. Cole normally was able to keep a level head, but with the bowl empty he was left a bit irritated. He looked over to Sensei Wu. "Okay, I'm done. The bowl is empty." He said hiding his irritation.

"The bowl is empty, but you are not done." Sensei Wu said standing up. "Fill it back up, and do it again." The old Sensei started to walk back towards the path. "And continue to do so until I return."

Cole, this time showing his irritation, asked. "Where are you going?"

"I have an appointment in Ninjago City. I don't want to be late." And once again, Wu was gone as quickly as he arrived.

Cole, now alone in the middle of the Wildwood Forest, sighed heavily. "What have I gotten myself into." He shook his head, and stood to refill the bowl.

Two hours had passed, and Sensei Wu still hadn't returned. Cole was still slapping the water, growing more and more impatient as the time passed. "Why? Am? I? Still? Doing? This?" Cole asked himself in between slaps. An hour ago, Cole place his father's watch against the tree next to him in order to keep an eye on the time. It was now passed noon, Cole was soaked with water, and constantly asking himself why he was still here.

Why was he still sitting here doing this. His head told him to leave, that he was just wasting his time. But his heart told him that he had never given up on something before, and that there had to be a reason for this. Sensei Wu wouldn't have him doing this for no reason. Would he?

A few hours later day turned into night, and Cole continued slapping the water in the bowl and refilling it when it was emptied. Cole checked the time, it was about ten at night and as the night grew, the colder it became.

Cole decided to take a break and build a fire, clearly he would be camping out tonight. He gathered some stones and dry, dead sticks together, and lit a fire with the lighter from his backpack. Then Cole continued with the water until one in the morning, when he unrolled his sleeping bag from his backpack and decided that it was time for some sleep.

Lying next to the fire, Cole was obsessively trying to find the reason behind what he was supposed to learn from slapping water out of a bowl. It was a thought he struggled with until he finally drifted asleep.

The next morning, Cole awoke to find that he was still alone. He sighed, ate an energy bar from his backpack for breakfast, refilled the bowl, and went back to work. Bowl after bowl after Bowl, Cole continued with this pointless exercise. As each hour passed, in this second day, Cole lost more and more of his patience, but he wouldn't quit. He would keep going until the old man returned, then he would leave.

It was twenty after ten when Sensei Wu finally reappeared in the area. "How are things going, Cole?" The old Sensei asked.

"How's it going?" Cole repeated in outrage. "You leave me out here in the middle of the forest for two days to do what, slap water? And you ask me how I'm doing?"

"It is a simple question, Cole." Wu said, his expression unchanged.

Cole stood to face the older man. "Just a question? Well I have question. Why have I been slapping water for two days straight? I thought you were going to teach me something."

Wu, expression still unchanged, took his staff and pointed it at the boulder. "Hit the rock, Cole."

"I'm sorry?" Cole asked, now confused.

"Hit the rock, and all will become clear." Wu said.

Cole laughed. "Okay, you want me hit the rock. I'll hit the rock, and break my hand. Then I'm going home." Cole stormed over to the boulder and threw his right fist into its face. Cole expected to break his hand, he expected to at least feel pain, but he didn't.

Cole looked at the rock where his fist met it, and all around his hand were cracks. He pulled his hand back and looked at it. Coles hand was fine, not even a scratch. "Now the other." He heard Wu tell him. Cole looked at his other hand , clenched it into a fist, and punched the rock in a different place. His left hand had the same result, a big web of cracks in the rocks surface. "Gather your things. We're leaving."

Cole, still amazed, gathered his things together in his backpack. Throwing the bag over his shoulder, Cole followed Wu back through the forest. "How did I do that?" Cole asked, still amazed at what he had done.

"A long time, there was boy from a small village." Wu started. "The village was home to a monastery of monks, that chose the boy to come and train with them. It was a great honour to his family. But for an entire year, all the monks had the boy do was slap water. One day the boy returned home, and when asked by his family what the monks had him doing. The boy told them, and they thought he was lying. So the boy showed them, he slapped a table like he did the water, and the table broke in half."

Cole took a second to absorb the story. "But if it took the boy a year just to break a table, how did I do that to the rock after only two days?" He asked.

"You were chosen for a reason, Cole." Wu said. "You are in tune with the power of earth, one of the four elements of creation. Like the earth, the mountains, and the rocks across the land. You are strong, sturdy, and solid." Wu tapped his staff across Coles chest. "Learning to strengthen yourself come naturally to you. With time, your strength will become almost supernatural, and you'll be able to protect your alleys with an impenetrable defense."

Cole took a breath. "Wow." He paused. "Wait, what do you mean by alleys?"

* * *

><p><strong>Okay thats it for today. I hope that you enjoyed. The next chapter will be all about Jay. Please R&amp;R. Thank you. -Vashwhyssrs<strong>


	5. Meet Jay

**Hello once again. Today I introduce Jay, Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>It was Monday, about mid-afternoon. The clouds covered the sky, but that didn't put down one bright young man. In the middle of Ninjago City on a flat rooftop, a young inventor, about sixteen years old, was putting the final touches on his newest inventions.<p>

"Alright Jay." He spoke to himself as he often did, perhaps a little too much. "Time to test the new turbo glider." It was a large hanglider shaped like the wings of a bat that he outfitted with two miniature jet engines that were powered by an old car battery. "And if this works you'll be able to fly all round Ninjago, and maybe see one of those skeletons that everyone's been talking about."

He finished making some last minute adjustments to one of the engines, and moved to strap the glider on his back. He looked around and sighed. "You've got to stop talking to yourself, Jay." With the glider strapped on tightly to his back, Jay looked over the side of the building to the hard, unforgiving pavement nineteen stories below. "Wow, that's high." He started walking backwards to give himself a running start, then leaped off of the building.

The glider was picked up by the wind, and Jay was soon flying over the streets and buildings of Ninjago City. It was a great feeling, the weightless feeling of gliding over the city was great. "Okay, Jay. Now for the hard part." He hit a button on the gliders harness to activate the battery to feed power to the engines. With a roar, the engines fired up, and sent Jay into flying faster then he could have by gliding alone. Jay cheered and said. "I can't believe this is working!"

And as if on cue, Jay heard a small explosion and realized that one of the engines had blown out. "Of course that happened." He said in a slight panic. Without the second engine to stabilize him, Jay begun to spin out of control. The glider came to a crashing halt through a billboard.

Hanging from the harness over the building that the billboard rested on, Jay sighed. "Another fail, Jay. Another major fail." He sighed again and released the harness and let himself fall to the roof. Surprising himself by landing on his feet, he said. "Well at least something went right today." He started to pat some of the dust off of his blue jumpsuit that he had gathered from the crash.

Jay looked up to the billboard and his glider that made a hole in it. "Oh, great. Now I'll probably be arrested for destroying public property, oh joy." With a deep breath, Jay sat down on one of the buildings air conditioning units, looked to the man sitting next to him, and said. "Hi." Then when Jay realized that what happened, he quickly looked at the man sitting next to him. His sudden appearance nearly made Jay jump off of the roof in surprise.

"Hi." Said the man in return. He was an older man in white robes, with a straw hat, and wooden staff.

"Where did you come!?" Jay asked still surprised.

The older man didn't answer him, he instead pointed his staff at the glider sticking out of the billboard. "Until it crashed, that contraption flew pretty well."

Jay felt embarrassed. "Oh, you saw that?"

"I'm sure I'm not the only one." The stranger said. "Why did you build it?"

Jay looked over his shoulder at the glider. "Well, to explore really. There's a lot of Ninjago I haven't seen, like the skeletons, so I thought that thing could take me to all the places I've never been."

"They are called the Skulkin." The old man said. "Why would you want to see them?"

"Well, it's not everyday that you see walking skeletons." Jay said.

"I'm afraid that seeing them everyday will soon become a problem. The ones that have been seen around Ninjago have only been scouts. I'm expecting that we will have an invasion to deal with." The man said grimly.

"Well," Jay said. "That's depressing."

The man looked at Jay. "You can help stop it before it begins."

Jay thought about what the man had said. "Well, what do I have to do?"

The man stood up, smiled and said. "I'm glad you asked." He pulled a bag from off of his shoulder. "Take this."

Jay looked at the black bag, shrugged, and said. "Okay." He took the bag from the man, and was shocked when it nearly pulled him down to the roof. The bag was heavy, it must have weighed a hundred pounds. "What's in here, bricks!?"

"Put it on, and follow me." The man said as he slowly walked to the roof access.

Jay looked at the man's back. "He wants me to wear bricks?" He said to himself. Jay shrugged and opened the bag, inside was only a dark blue shirt. "A shirt? Well at least it's blue." Jay undid the zipper of his blue jumpsuit, removed the shirt he was wearing, and started to put on the weighted shirt. It was a struggle to get it on, but he managed it. It was heavy, and was hard to walk and even breath with it. "Why did I agree to this? I don't know Jay, why did you agree to this?"

Jay, slowed down by his new shirt, zipped up his jumpsuit and ran after the man. "Good, you're joining me." He said as they walked down the stairwell. "My name is Wu, but will call me Sensei."

"Okay, Sensei." Jay said still struggling to adjust to his new shirt. "Can I ask what the hundred pound shirt is for?"

"A hundred and twenty pounds actually." Sensei Wu said, not making Jay feel any better. "And from this point forward you will wear it in everything that you do."

Jay didn't like the sound of that. "Even when I'm sleeping?"

He looked at Jay, and said. "Yes. Even while sleeping."

"Oh, joy." Jay said sarcastically. "So, where are we going then?"

"To the Mountain of a Million Steps. There we will begin to train you to become a ninja." Wu said.

Jay really liked the sound of that. "A ninja! I'm gonna be a ninja! Cool!" He said excited. Then he thought of something. "Wait, did you say the Mountain of a Million Steps?"

* * *

><p><strong>That does it for today. I thought that it would be comical to have Jay talk to himself when he's alone, there won't be a lot of that when he meets up with the other Ninja. Next we have a little more Jay, the we move on to Zane. Please R&amp;R. Thank you. -Vashwhyssrs. <strong>


	6. Jays Ordeal

**Hello once again. Today I have the second standalone chapter for Jay. This one is shorter then I'd thought it would be, no real reason why. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Later in that day, Jay arrived at the Mountain of a Million Steps with Sensei Wu. Jay was more then exhausted thanks to his new weighted shirt. "Okay," Jay said out of breath. "We're here, now what?"<p>

"Now," Wu said. "You climb the steps."

"Climb the steps?" Jay repeated.

"Yes. Walk the steps to the top of the mountain by sundown." Wu instructed.

Jay looked towards the sun, it was nearing sundown. "But thats in like, ten minutes." He complained. "You know that this is the Mountain of a Million Steps, right. As in a Million Steps."

"Yes." Wu said. "Get to the top within ten minutes. If you fail, stop wherever you are, then climb down and start again. I will check on you tomorrow."

When he turned to leave, Jay asked. "Where are you going? How am I supposed to do this?" But Wu said nothing, he just walked away. "What do you think other Jay?" He said to himself. "I think we should we go home. What about you Jay? I don't know other Jay, being a ninja sounds cool." He looked up at the top of the mountain. Jay sighed. "I need some friends."

Jay set his wrist watch to alarm in ten minutes, and started his walk up the steps. He had barely put a dent in the million steps when his alarm went off, Jay loudly groaned, and climbed down the side to start again. Hours passed by, and Jay slowly made progress each time he restarted the climb.

It was early the next morning that Jay was loudly complaining, and arguing, to himself as the sun was rising. "I don't want to do this anymore!" Jay said almost crying from pain and exhaustion. "But you have to keep going other Jay. I can't keep going! You can keep going. Oh shut up! You shut up. I just want to go home, take a nap, build a motorcycle with rocket engines! Why do you always put rocket engines on everything? Because rocket engines are cool!"

Jay was so busy whining and complaining to himself that he hadn't realized that he had reached the top. He didn't notice until his watch alarm went off. He turned the alarm off and went to climb back down, but he looked around, and saw that he was at the top. "I did it?" He asked himself. "I did it!" He cheered, then collapsed. On the ground of the mountain top, he realized that the weighted shirt wasn't nearly as heavy as it was before. Then he fell asleep from exhaustion.

Jay awoke a couple of hours later to see Sensei Wu standing over him, a sight that made Jay scream a little. "How long have you been there?" He asked in a slight panic.

"I've only just arrived." The old Sensei said. "I see that you have completed the task."

"Yeah," Jay said standing up. "It took all night, but I did it. Not sure how I did it, but I did." Then Jay remembered that Wu hadn't been here to see him complete the task. "How did you know that I did it?"

"The shirt no longer weighs you down. I can tell by the way you breath." Wu said. Jay had actually forgotten about the shirt since he had woken up. "The extra weight no longer impedes you. You can take it off."

Jay unzipped his jumpsuit and removed the shirt, removing it was a lot easier than putting it on. "So, why did I have to wear it?" He asked. He place it on the ground, zipped up his jumpsuit, and he realized that he felt different. He felt so much lighter then he did yesterday, he felt stronger, he felt faster. "Whoa, I feel so light. Like I'm fifty pounds lighter then before. I feel like I can run a marathon, and not break a sweat."

"Adjusting yourself to the extra weight has made you faster without it." Wu explained. "You were born with a link to one of the elements of creation. Like the Lighting that crashes through the sky during a storm, you move fast, you think fast, and act fast. Becoming faster simply comes naturally to you. That is why your mind, and mouth, is always running. And with time, your speed will reach near supernatural heights." Wu started to walk down the million steps, and gestured for Jay to follow him. "You will learn to strike as fast as a lighting bolt."

"And then I'll be a ninja?" Jay asked excited.

Wu smiled. "Yes Jay, you will be a ninja."

"Sweet." Jay said more to himself then to Wu.

"Just like the others." Wu finished.

"Others?" Jay questioned. "When did you saying anything about others." He shrugged. "At least I'll finally have someone to talk to."

* * *

><p><strong>Thats it for today. Next time we see Jay, he won't feel so alone. But first we'll introduce Zane. Thank you. Please R&amp;R -Vashwhyssrs<strong>


	7. A Guy Named Zane

**Hello once again. Today I have introduce Zane, my favorite of the four Ninja. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>It was Monday evening, the citizens of a small village on the edge of the Frozen Wasteland were all turning in for the night. Except for some of the children, who snuck out every Monday night to watch a spectacle.<p>

No one was quite sure where the teen came from, or anything other than his name. One day he just wandered into town with a blank look on his face, and the only memory of himself was his name. Some of the townsfolk built him a small cabin, that wad closer to a tool she'd then a house, that he lived in.

Once a week, on every Monday he would dive down to the bottom of the town's frozen lake and mediate there. Sometimes he would stay under for five minutes before coming up for air. The local children had a bad habit of following him to the lake, and would out the time that he spent down there.

Today was no different. One of the children, whose was late, ran up to the others, and asked. "How long has he been there?"

One girl answered him. "Going on four minutes."

"I think he might break his record again." Another boy said.

"It's like he's not human." The girl said again.

Another minute and forty seconds had passed before the water of the lake churned, and he came up through the water. He clutched some of the thick ice on the lakes shore, and gasped for air. He was tall, well built, and about eighteen years old. He looked up at the four children. "You should not be out this late." He said, his voice slightly monotonous.

"You tell us that every time, Zane." One of the boys said.

"And you still do not listen." Zane said, pulling himself out of the lake. "How long was I this time?"

"About five minutes forty seconds." The girl said, counting on her fingers.

Zane nodded. "You should all go home now." He said walking over to the backpack that he left by the lake side. He sat down, a took out a towel from his backpack. He watched the children leave as he started drying his light blond hair. Then he felt a disturbance. He looked around to a hill just outside the village, there he saw it. Standing by the tree on the hill was mysterious figure. Zane was too far away to see it properly, but something about it didn't feel right.

Zane pulled his dry socks and his boots on, and started walking to the hill. He left his drenched wetsuit on, figuring that he didn't have time to change into dry clothes. His foot steps were light, so he easily crept up on the figure. Unsung the tree as cover, Zane got a better look at the figure that was watching over the cold village. Whatever it was, it wasn't human, or at least no anymore.

It was skeleton, about six feet tall, and wearing armour over its chest, shoulders, for arms, and legs. A black loin cloth wrapped around its pelvis, with a dark grey sash tied tightly to hold it up. On its head was a hard black military helmet, and on its hip was a very mean looking sword with a bone hilt.

Zane wasn't sure what to do. He could easily sneak away, and get help, and he was about too, but he accidentally stepped on a stick. The loud snap the stick made gave away Zanes position. The skeleton heard the noise, drew his sword, turned around, and attacked. Zane, caught be surprise, ducked under the sword as it cut deep into the tree.

Zane was left one option, to fight back against this creature, or die. While it tried to pry its sword free of the tree, Zane balled his hand and punched it. The impact only hurt Zanes hand, the bone was much denser then he had anticipated.

Realizing that it had just been attacked, the skeleton turned and backhanded Zane. Zane was knocked flat on his back, the skeleton was stronger then it looked. The skeleton freed its sword from the tree, and swung it down onto Zane. Zane rolled out of the swords path, but ended rolling all the way down the hill.

When Zane came too a stop, he looked and saw the skeleton looking down at him. Then it jumped, it's sword swinging down, Zane was unsure what to do. Just as the skeleton was about to strike, a wooden came flying from nowhere and took of the skeletons head mid jump. The rest of the undead warrior fell, and landed in a crumpled mess of bone and armour.

Zane stood, and turned around. Standing there was an older man in white robes and a straw hat. Zane watched as the man went to collect the staff that had taken off the head of the skeleton. "Thank you," Said Zane. "I am not sure what would have happened if you had not helped me."

The man looked at Zane. "Not many people would try to fight a Skulkin warrior like that."

"It caught me by surprise, otherwise I would have not tried." Zane said. "I saw it looking over the village, and checked to see if meant us any harm."

"What is your name?" The man asked.

"I am Zane." He answered.

"Well Zane, the Skulkin will soon be invading the land of the living, and they will stop at nothing to get what they want." The man said.

Zane thought about what he said. "These Skulkin, they are looking for something?" Zane asked.

"Yes. They have been scouting Ninjago for signs of the hidden locations of the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu." He said.

"Why are they looking for these weapons?" Zane asked.

"That I'm afraid, I do not know." The man said. "But it means that the weapons are unsafe, and needs protection. That is why I am here."

"One of the weapons is here?" Zane guessed.

"No, but one of their guardian's is." He held out his hand to Zane. "What do say, Zane?"

Zane understood that the man was talking about him. If these Skulkin creatures meant to do harm to people, then he couldn't just sit by. The people of this village had good to him, and he figured that this was the best way to repay them. Zane shook the man's hand. "If it is to protect the people of this village, then yes. I will do what I can."

"Good," The man said. "I am Wu, but you can call me Sensei." He reached into his sleeve, and pulled out a small bell. "Your training begins now. Take this bell, and carry it to the monastery above Jamanakai village without making it ring."

Zane nodded, and carefully took the bell. "I understand that this task will teach me something. But I can not see what."

The two started walking, Zane was going a little slower to make balance the bell so it wouldn't ring. "Tell me Zane." Sensei Wu said. "Have you ever found yourself sneaking up on people without intending to do so, or being unable to be snuck up on?"

Zane nodded. "Yes, it does happen more then I would like."

"That is because you are in tune with the element of Ice. Ice is represented by the attribute of stealth. With proper training, you will learn to be nearly invisible." Said Sensei Wu.

"I see." Zane said. "And the bell will teach me to control this?"

Wu smiled and said. "Yes."

Zane looked down at the bell. "I will do my best then."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay thats it for today. Next we'll have Zane meet Jay, then they will meet Cole, and will finally be able to move on to Kai. Please R&amp;R. Thank you. -Vashwhyssrs.<strong>


	8. Zane Meets Jay

**Hello once again. I just want to apoligise for the delay between this chapter and the last. I write these as quickly as i can think of them, and this one and the next one are really kicking my ass. Hopfully when a reach Kai, and get the plot moving they will come out faster. Thanks for hanging in there. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>It was morning the next day when Zane reached Jamanakai village. He had been walking through the night, carefully making sure to balance the bell so it wouldn't ring. Midway through the night, Zane was able to move much faster so he tied the bell to his belt.<p>

It was much tougher walking up the mountain path to the monastery then he had expected, but he reached the temple without any problems. Zane passed through the temple gates and into the courtyard, the monastery was empty. Part way on the trip here Sensei Wu had excused himself and left, telling Zane to wait for him at the temple.

Zane sat down in the middle of the courtyard, and waited. Hours had passed before Zane moved, he just sat there waiting. Then felt something, a presence, someone was coming up the steps. No it was two people, Zane could hear two sets of foot prints, and one voice. One voice that was talking loudly, about what, Zane wasn't sure.

Sensei Wu walked through the gates with a boy that was about the same age as Zane. He was wearing a blue jumpsuit with black shoes. His hair was a messy reddish-brown, and he had notch scaring through his right eyebrow. His face was friendly with dark blue eyes.

"Hello Sensei." Zane greeted as he stood. "Is this one of the others that I will be training with?"

"Yes," Wu said. "Zane, this is Jay. From now on, the two of you will live together, sleep together, and train together. But for now, you will complete the training course."

Jay seemed confused. "What training course?" He asked

Sensei Wu walked over to the statue of the Golden Dragon at the center of the courtyard. "As ninja, you must learn to see what can not be seen." The old master said. He pulled on the head of the Dragon statue, and whole sections of the courtyard begun to shift and move in a circle around the courtyard. Wooden pillars rose from out of the courtyards tile floor, followed by a carousel of wooden training dummies wielding war axes and swords. Next came swinging bladed pendulums, and finally a pit opened up at the end of the circle.

Jay looked down to bottom of the pit, then loudly said. "Well this looks easy."

Zane was confused about Jays comment, this new training course looked anything but easy. In fact it looked like a single mistake would prove fatal. "It doesn't look easy at all." Zane said to his new companion.

Jay looked back at him. "I know." He said. "That was sarcasm."

"Oh." Zane was never able to understand when someone was using sarcasm.

Sensei Wu Sat down on the steps in front of the temple door. "Now complete the training course by the time I finish my tea. Go."

"Now?" Jay questioned. Zane didn't wait for confirmation, and sprinted to the wooden pillars that started to pistion up and down the second he touched them. The sudden movement threw Zane off balance, and he was forced off of the pillars onto the courtyard floor. A second later Jay landed next to him on his backside. "Ow." He said.

"You have failed." Zane looked over to Sensei Wu, who was now holding an empty jade cup in his hands. "You will try again tomorrow." And with that, the old master rose to his feet and went inside the temple.

"That's it?" Jay asked in a whiney tone. "We get one try, then we're done?"

"Apparently so." Zane said as he walked towards the temple.

Behind him, Zane could hear Jay say to himself. "I can already tell this will be fun."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, thats it for today. The next one will finaly bring the first three together. I'm about a quater of the way done with it, but I don't know when I'll be done. Again, sorry for the delay. Please R&amp;R, Thank you. -Vashwhyssrs. <strong>


	9. Earth, Lightning, and Ice

Authors Notes: So, this chapter was giving the most trouble I've ever had. So I ended up putting off for almost a year, I finally finished it over all its pretty much a filler chapter that happens just before Kais recruitment. So here it is.

OoooO

It was late afternoon when Cole had arrived at the monastery on the top of the mountain. Sensei Wu was with him and was telling him about the temple, where Cole would now be living.

"The temple will be your home as well as your place of training. It is where you will learn the art of Ninjitzu, and begin to harness your elemental power." The old master said as they walked up the mountain path.

"Ninjitzu?" Cole asked. Cole was familiar with the term Spinjitzu, but this was new to him.

"Ninjitzu," Wu said. "The art of the Ninja. It employs the use of ones self and environment in the survival of yourself, and your allies. You will learn more with time, but for now," They had reached the monastery gates and passed through them, giving Cole view of the temple. Inside the courtyard were two others about the same age as Cole. The first one was sitting in the center of the courtyard in a meditative pose, he was wearing white pants with a black shirt and had short, light blond hair. The second, who wore a heavy looking blue shirt with a blue jumpsuit and messy reddish hair, was hanging upside down from a wooden pole. "I will introduce you to your team mates." Wu finished. The two stopped what they were doing, and met Cole and Sensei at the gates.

With a closer look at them, Cole could see that the blond one had a dead serious expression on his face, and was at least a foot taller than him. The one in blue was the exact opposite, his expression was care free, and he was slightly shorter. Sensei Wu held his hand out to the blond and said. "Cole, this is Zane." Who nodded in greeting to Cole. Wu moved his hand to the other one. "And this is Jay."

"Hi!" Jay said, a little too loudly.

"Zane, Jay, this is Cole." Wu continued. "From now on you will train together unless I say otherwise." Wu started walking towards the temple, Cole and the others followed.

"Hey," Jay said to Cole. "Cole, was it? How'd you get roped into this?"

Cole looked at him and said. "I was rock climbing, and there Sensei was. Telling me about the Skulkin, and offering to train me. What about you?" Cole was curious to who these two were before Wu had brought them hear.

"Well," Jay said. "I testing out an invention, I crashed it, and there he was. Now I'm here."

Cole nodded in understanding, then he turned to Zane, who hadn't said a word yet. "What about you."

"Breathing." Zane said in a monotonous voice.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Cole asked.

"I say as much as I need too." Zane said with a nod.

Sensei stopped and turned to them. "There will be plenty of time for talking later. For now you will fight each other."

"Fight each other?" Cole asked surprised at the sudden turn of events.

"You can't be serious!" Jay complained.

"Yes I am." Wu said. "The best way to learn together, is to fight together. And by fighting each other you will learn more about each other then words can ever tell." The Sensei sat on the steps in front of the temple doors. "Begin."

The three of them spread out across the courtyard. They stood there looking at each other waiting for someone else to make the first move.

Cole looked at Zane, then at Jay, then back to Zane. Out of the two of them, Zane looked like he would be the bigger threat. Just when Cole thought that Zane was about to make his move, instead he just stood staring back at him. Then the tall quite one closed his eyes, and kept them shut.

And while Cole was focused on Zane, Jay ran up with incredible speed and planted his boots in a drop kick to Coles chest, throwing him off of his feet. Cole look up to Jay, now standing where Cole was, still surprised. "Wow," Jay said surprised at himself. "I really did get faster!"

Cole pick himself up. He really wasn't expecting Jay to be that fast, he had barely seen him move. But this time Cole was ready, and he wouldn't underestimate Jay. Cole took a quick look at Zane, who continued to just stand there with his eyes closed almost like he had forgotten that they were supposed to be fighting. Then he turned his attention back to Jay.

This time Cole was ready, this Jay guy was obviously faster than he thought, but Cole was stronger. All Cole had to do was get his hands on him, and it would be over. Then there was Zane, who was a mystery.

Cole remembered what Sensei Wu had told him, that his strength was best used as a defensive weapon. So Cole would wait for Jay, then strike. Cole took a defensive stance, and waited.

As of on cue, Jay shot forward, spinning into a kick. Jay was a lot faster then him, but Cole managed to put his arms in front of his face to block. Cole let force of the impact pass through him and down through him.

Jay was quick to move into his next attack. He spun and this time got through Coles defenses and landed a punch to his side. While Jay was still focusing on his attack, Cole managed to grab hold of Jays jumpsuit.

Cole smiled, he had Jay right where he wanted him, and the look on Jays face said that he knew it too. "This is going to hurt, isn't it?"

"Yup." Cole confirmed. With his great strength he threw Jay up into the air. With a spin, Jay came falling back down, and as he fell, Cole leaned back and thrust his arm forward, hitting Jay with a powerful clothesline.

Jay practically spun completely around Coles arm as he fell to the courtyard floor. Jay groaned. "You were right, that hurt a lot."

Cole was about to say something back, when suddenly he felt cold metal against his neck. One quick look showed him that Zane was now standing there holding a knife against Coles throat. Looking down, Cole could see Zane also had a knife to Jays neck.

The taller teen said nothing, he just stood there holding them at knife point. Then Cole heard clapping. Wu was walking forward, his hands clapping.

"Congratulations." The Sensei said. "You've all made excellent progress in your training, and only after a few short days. You may relax Zane."

Zane nodded, and stepped away from the two. Sensei Wu looked up at the sky, sunset was nearly an hour away so the sky was starting to show signs of darkening.

"There are three uniforms and a map in that cabinet there." Wu said pointing towards the cabinet that rested against one of the temple walls. "The uniforms are yours, and the map leads to the location of your next training task. You will go there together and retrieve the artifact hidden there and you will not return until you have it."

"What about you?" Cole asked.

"I have some business to wrap up. I will see you all when you return." And with that, Wu headed out of the Monastery, and back down the mountain.

"Well that's just great!" Jay complained.

"I've been here five minutes, and I already have climb back down this." Cole joined Jay in his complaining.

"We might as well get started." Zane said. He was already at the cabinet putting on a black robe like uniform that looked just like the ninja outfits that Cole saw on tv and in comic books.

Jay groaned, his head slumped as he walked over. "I hate that you're right!"

Cole was tired, but he agreed with Zane. They'd best get going. Hopefully their little mission would be easy.

OoooO


	10. Ten Years Eariler

New Chapter! Hello once again, it's time for a new chapter. I actually managed to write one. Yeah!

OooooO

The Ninjago Underworld was a dark twisted realm of blackness and death. Massive spiders made of bone and steel crawled and hunted anything within the cave like world within the world. All except for one place, the only place the Spykor would not go, the Dark Fortress.

The Dark Fortress was home to ruler of this dark realm, Samukai, King of the Underworld, and Chieftain of the Skulkin. Samukai, who was as cruel in death as he was in life, was once a mighty ruler. A king who once ruled the province that would become Ninjago City, where even back then was the center of life and economy.

Samukais dark rule over the land of the living ended in violence at the hands of a noble spirit who had sought to bring peace to the world, but Samukai refused death. He was reborn in the dark Underworld as a grotesque four armed monster, showing what he truly was on the inside. There he conquered the four warring tribes of the Skulkin, uniting them against the living.

The Skulkin were trapped, however, and could not step foot in the land of the living, but that did not stop Samukai from building an army. To build said army, Samukai had crafted a helmet of Underworld stone and dark magic, the Necromancers Helm. With the helmet, Samukai was able to reanimate the dead of Ninjago, turning them into Skulkin, and adding them the ranks of his army.

On this night, as night is the only time in the Underworld, Samukai was doing just that. In the depths of the Dark Fortress, King Samukai stood at the swirling Pool of Souls where Samukai could combine the power of his helmet to create new warriors. His three lieutenants, Kruncha, Nuckal. and Wyplash stood at the side of room, other warriors stood behind them, chanting dark verses and pounding on large drums.

The power of Samukais helmet, like electricity, fired at the pool creating a new Skulkin warrior. The skeleton pulled itself out of the corrupted, black, sludge like water with a loud shriek of agony. Samukai laughed with glee as it thrashed wildly trying to make sense of what was around it.

"Rise warrior, for you are now Skulkin!" Samukai yelled as his warriors cheered. The skeleton, as if understanding its new place, calmed itself and stepped out of the pool with a new sense of purpose. Several skull warriors of the White Tribe outfitted their new brother with light spiky armor and handed it an axe made of bronze and bone.

That was forty-fifth new warrior Samukai had made this day, and he figured that one more could not hurt. With a hearty laugh, Samukai turned back to the pool and blasted it with the power of his helmet. Like the hundreds of times before, the Pool of Souls spat out a skeleton, a new warrior for the Skulkin.

However something was different with this one. Samukai could see that from the start. The skeleton was not screaming in agony or thrashing around in pain, it looked rather calm. It was doubled over on its knees in the black water, doing nothing.

Samukai repeated himself. "Rise warrior, for you are now Skulkin." But the warrior did nothing. "Rise warrior," Samukai said again. "For you are now Skulkin!" Again, the warrior did nothing. The insubordination made Samukai angry, he drew one of his sacred Skull blades in his upper right hand. "I told you to rise, warrior!"

Suddenly the skeleton slammed its hands hard into the black water, causing some of the more cowardly Skulkin, like Nuckal, to start. The black water of Pool of Souls begun to swirl around the skeleton. Faster and faster the black sludge like water swirled like a whirlpool. The water then started to attach itself and coat the warrior, reaching up over its bones, solidifying and becoming thin black flesh.

"What's happening!" Nuckal squealed as he cowered behind Kruncha.

The black water finished coating the skeleton, ending in wild black hair on top of its skull. For a moment, all was quiet. Samukai stood waiting for something else to happen. Then the warrior spoke.

"You would do well to get that blade out of my face."

"You are a warrior, reborn with my power!" Samukai yelled in outrage. "No one, especially one of my own soliders, speaks to me like that!"

The warrior chuckled darkly. "No one commands me."

"I am Samukai, King of the Skulkin!" He drew all four of his skull daggers. "You will follow my commands! This helmet demands!"

Though his daggers were drawn, Samukai had let his guard fall from rage. "So, whoever wears that helmet commands the Skulkin? Good." The warriors head sprang up, showing Samukai black eyes with red irises and sharp teeth in a grotesque smilie. In an instant the warrior was surrounded by a powerful raging purple and black tornado, which grew as lighting sparked around it.

Samukai was taken aback, as were the rest of the Skulkin, as the tornado grew to massive size. Faster and faster the purple tornado went as it grew, the shadow of the warrior could be seen through the raging storm. Before Samukai could do a thing, he was sucked inside the swirling dark vortex. Unable to get a hold of himself as he spun round and round, Samukai felt a powerful impact on his face.

Again and again, powerful, unnaturally strong impacts slammed into Samukais frame. The Skulkin King could not distinguish what was a punch, and what was a kick. All he could do was grunt in pain at the many impacts.

After what seemed like an hour, Samukai was hit with what felt like a powerful uppercut. With that last blow, Samukai was ejected from the tornado, the Necromancer Helm flying from his head. He landed hard on the chamber floor, his bones cracked in several places.

Finally the tornado died down, the warrior stood triumphant with his left hand outreached. The Necromancer Helm landed perfectly in his outreached hand, and with a smile the warrior placed it on his head.

"There. And now the Skulkin will be led by someone who no only knows how to rule, but how to rule all, including the living. But the title of King is too, tasteless, if you ask me. I was once called a Lord, and so shall I be again." The warrior turned to the Skulkin army. "Now kneel." He commanded. When the Skulkin did nothing, the warrior shouted, his voice like thunder. "I SAID KNEEL!" This time the skull warriors and the three lieutenants bowed to their knees.

"Good." The warrior said. "And soon the world will know the return of Lord Garmadon! Now get started! For war is coming!" The warriors stood and ran out of the room, going to prepare for whatever orders their new Lord commanded.

Lord Garmadon looked down at himself with an uncomfortable expression. "You!" He pointed towards the three lieutenants. "Make me some pants!"

OooooO

Thank you for reading, if you liked it, you know what do! See you next time!


End file.
